A “legendary” Liverpool city centre venue is to be home to a new brand in 2026. Currently, at New Zealand House on Water Street, you will find the world’s biggest Hooters. But come Sunday, January 11, this will no longer be the case with the director Barry Morris confirming to the ECHO, a fresh start with a new concept was needed after years of arguments and bad publicity.
The controversial American brand first opened in November 2022, and since then, for one reason or another, has been in the headlines multiple times.
In the new year, the New Zealand House will transform into a “more refined sports bar and restaurant”, according to Barry. He said “further details” will be shared soon in what is a “new chapter on Water Street”.
The ECHO has taken a look back at the site, which has been home to the nightclub Newz Bar and restaurants District House and Amanzi. Below are a host of photos highlighting the ever-changing face of the New Zealand House – expect a lot of champagne and celebrities.
Newz Bar closed its doors just over a decade ago, but is still remembered as a “legendary” Liverpool institution that “had it all”. It’s now been a quarter of a century since businessmen Paul and Julian Flanagan launched Newz Bar and since then the site has been home to three different restaurants.
The Flanagan brothers invested £1m transforming a former office equipment shop into the trendy city centre brasserie style bar. The venue opened in 2000 and proved to be a huge success, becoming the place to be for the city’s glitterati.
In 2014, businessman Riad Erraji moved in, transforming the site into the trendy restaurant known as Amanzi. The eatery launched just before Christmas with a glamorous VIP opening party where the guest list included Alex Gerrard, Hollyoaks cast members Sophie Austin and Nikki Sanderson, former Desperate Scousewives star Amanda Harrington and Big Brother’s Mark Byron.
But despite Amanzi briefly flourishing and becoming popular with city footballers, boxers and telly stars, it closed toward the end of 2015. In the summer of 2016, it was announced that the site was to reopen as District House and there was yet another glittering launch party after Know Restaurants Water Street Limited invested £1m in transforming New Zealand House into a new restaurant and bar.
But by January 2017, it closed just six months after opening after owners Know Restaurants Water Street Limited (KRWSL) went into liquidation, seeing 30 workers lose their jobs as a result of the closure.
Fast-forward to 2022 and Hooters would launch its biggest site in the world in the vacant New Zealand House on Water Street.